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2013 FIAT 500E: The Electric You Want But Probably Can’t Have

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Reading about the car in this post will make you want it. The price is ridiculously low, and it uses no gas, creates zero emissions and has a decent range. It even comes with a program allowing buyers the use of larger, gas-powered cars when needed.

This car, the FIAT 500E, is about as perfect as electric cars get, at least so far. It even comes with dedicated support and customer service designed to mostly eliminate any worry about running out of juice somewhere away from home.

The one drawback? You probably can’t get one. The FIAT 500E is for residents of one state, and one state only.

The FIAT 500E is officially rated at 122 MPGe in the city, with highway efficiency at 108 MPGe, for a combined 116 MPGe. Its official range is 87 miles, which is probably a low estimate. Here’s where things get really tempting, though: Drivers of the 500E get up to 12 days of free rental cars, per year for 3 years, through Enterprise. Mileage on the rentals is unlimited, so if you need to take the family on a drive from Los Angeles to Denver and back, you’re covered.

FIAT dealers will offer its 500E customers 24/7 support to answer any questions or help solve any problems. The car’s standard nav system comes programmed with all charging stations and makes it easy to find the nearest one along a chosen route.

All of this should come at a hefty price, right? Think again. The FIAT 500E will have a surprisingly affordable lease price of $199 a month for 36 months with $999 down. You could get a gas-powered 500 Pop for a similar deal. Buying the car will cost $32,500, but that’s before a potential $7,500 federal tax credit and another $2,500 credit from the state of California. Which is the only state where this ideal little car will be sold.

In addition to the tax credits, FIAT says rebates could drop the price down to $20,500.

For California commuters, this could prove too good a deal to miss. I can’t imagine FIAT would be able to afford such a lease program nationwide, so if you happen to live in the Golden State, this might be a very good time to go electric.

1 Comment

You’ve got to remember that the car companies are under very strong pressure from CARB to get electrics into the state, and Chryslers reputation as the GAS HOG car company doesn’t help. They really need these cars to be able to keep doing business in California.